A Summer of Big Things
by The Eye of The Oncoming Storm
Summary: The USS "Luke and Lorelai" is about to set sail, literally and figuratively, on the trip of a lifetime. - Following the events of "Bon Voyage", Luke and Lorelai take steps to try and mend their relationship. But can they move past everything that's happened and truly be together? Or has too much happened already?
1. Back in Baby's Arms

_I've been holding onto this story for a really long time now, I've been trying to get it perfect and completely done before I started posting it. But I'm starting to realize that sometimes, you just need to put stuff out there and take a chance._

 _So, here is the first chapter of A Summer of Big Things. I realize that the first chapter might seem a little slow. Just trust me._

* * *

Lorelai drove Rory to the airport, and they chatted animatedly as if they did this every week. She walked with Rory as she got her tickets and her boarding pass. They bought and drank horrible expensive coffee, and waved goodbye at security. Lorelai had even sat in the jeep and waited until the plane she thought might be Rory's had taken off, watching until it was out of her sight. She remained in the parking lot for nearly half an hour, continuing to watch the planes, just in case the first one had not been Rory's.

These details she remembered vividly, but Lorelai could barely remember the drive back from Hartford, and more out of habit than actual thought, she drove to Luke's. She sat down at the counter, and it was only after Zach materialized to take her order that she realized that Luke wasn't there.

"Hey, s'up Lorelai? Coffee, I assume?"

"Coffee would be great."

"For here or to go?"

"To go, please." As much as she wanted to stick around, she needed to go home and rest before she had to go to the inn. "Where's Luke?"

"He's upstairs, probably sleeping. About time too."

She frowned. "What do you mean, about time?"

"Well, Luke started planning that party for Rory on Saturday, and me and him and a bunch of other people from town stayed up late to help set up, and then Luke stayed up even later to make that giant tent when Babette said it was gonna rain."

"Right."

"And then after the party, he helped take down everything even though everyone kept telling him he'd done enough. But Taylor made a huge stink about it being an unofficial party, and permits and stuff, and I guess Luke promised that he would help with the clean up and whatever. I don't know how he stayed up so long. I know I couldn't. One time..."

Lorelai began to tune him out as she thought. Luke. Incredible, sweet, hard-working Luke. He did all this, and wasn't even going to tell her that it was his idea. It was just so... Luke. She suddenly had the overwhelming urge to see him. She stood up and interrupted Zach's ramble.

"Can you excuse me a second, I'll just need to talk to Luke for a minute."

"Sure, no problem. Still want that coffee?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind. I'll grab it on my way out."

Lorelai slipped behind the curtain that blocked the stairs and climbed up them, knocking on Luke's apartment door. It took a couple minutes, but Luke finally answered. He hadn't even gotten changed his clothes since that morning. Lorelai took a step toward him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Luke hugged her back and kissed her hair before resting his head against hers.

"Rory's plane leave okay?" He asked softly.

Lorelai nodded, enjoying the feeling of his soft flannel on her skin. "She said she'd call me when she landed."

"How are you doing?"

"Mmm." Her eyes started closing. "Tired. Stayed up all night packing. Sorry I woke you up. I just wanted to say thank you. Again."

"Don't worry about it. You gonna go home?"

"Probably should. Need a nap. Work later." She turned her head and nestled it under Luke's chin. "Don't wanna go."

Luke was equally exhausted. His eyes began to droop, and he stifled a yawn.

"You could sleep here if you want." He suggested.

Lorelai was too tired to argue. Not that she remotely wanted to. "Sounds good."

Downstairs in the diner, a cup of coffee stood cooling, forgotten on the counter.

* * *

Lorelai woke up several hours later, slowly registering the warm sleeping form next to her. Even in her sleepy hazy, she knew it was Luke - his body, his smell, his sheets. She snuggled closer to him, his arms tightening automatically around her waist, though he was still asleep. They'd both been so tired, they had not even bothered with blankets or sheets, and they were both still fully clothed. Which became increasingly apparent to Lorelai as Luke's belt buckle dug into her back.

She patted his arm, trying to wake him. "Babe, I have to get up."

"Call in sick." He mumbled.

"Have to get up first."

He nuzzled the back of her neck, his whiskers tickling her skin, making her shiver. "Stay."

"I _want_ to," Her voice was heavy with sleep and desire. "But your belt buckle is ruining the mood."

Luke let go of her and she turned over so that she was facing him. He fiddled with his belt but was still too asleep to take it off. Lorelai looked over him at the clock on his side of the bed, and the shock woke her up.

"It's after noon! I was supposed to be at the inn at ten!" She shot out of bed, and started looking for her shoes.

Luke sat up. "Didn't you say Rory was going to call you?"

"Oh shoot!" Lorelai gave up looking for her shoes and grabbed her phone out of her purse while Luke got up and started looking for her shoes. She had several missed phone calls and voicemail messages. She sat down on the bed next to Luke and listened to her voicemail while she put on the shoes that he'd handed her.

The first message was from Rory.

 _"Hi, Mom, it's Rory. The plane landed fine and I'm currently waiting for the taxi to come and get me."_

"It's Rory, she's fine." Lorelai told Luke.

"I know, I heard." Luke smiled at her, absentmindedly rubbing Lorelai's back.

 _"- to talk to you but I assume you're taking a nap, which is good, since I know you didn't sleep all night even though you said you were going to when I went to sleep. I'll talk to you when I get to my hotel. Bye!"_

The second message was from Emily.

 _"Lorelai, it's your mother. I wasn't sure what time Rory's flight left, but I assume she's gone by now, and I was just wondering if you'd heard from- Oh wait, I think she's on the other line. I'll talk to you later, Lorelai. I'll see you on Friday for dinner."_

"Hmm, dodged a bullet there." Lorelai commented dryly.

The final message was from Sookie.

 _"Lorelai, hi! I thought you'd be here at ten, but you're not, which is fine. I figured you'd need the day off today so I called in Michel, but he's insisting that he get paid overtime. I told him he'd have to take it up with you later. Anyway, call me. Or I'll try to call you again later. Or I can drop by your house after work. I just, uh, wanted to check in with you today, okay? Okay, bye. Talk to you later!"_

Luke's hand migrated to her hair, and brushed a few strands away from her face. "You planning on going to work?"

"Nah, it sounds like it's covered for now." She turned to Luke, and smiled at him. "What about you?"

"Took the day off."

"Smart thinking." She murmured. She gazed at him, taking in everything she had missed in their time apart. Sleep tousled hair, blue eyes, stubble. She brought her hand out to touch his face, and her fingers found the soft curls at the nape of his neck. Luke reached to pull her face toward him, kissing her. His lips felt soft against hers, and she tilted her head back to deepen the kiss, and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him closer. His other hand came to rest on her knee, and rubbing tiny circles on her leg.

They pulled apart after a moment, and rested their forehead to together for a few comfortable, quiet moments. Lorelai sighed, and Luke knew from experience it was not in a happy way. Luke knit in brows together in concern.

"Hey, you okay?" His voice barely rose above a whisper.

"Yeah." She forced a smile. "Fine."

He gave her a knowing look, and she sighed, letting the smile slip away. "Honestly, no, I'm not fine. But I don't wanna talk about it yet. I don't even wanna think about it yet, so just… I just need to be fine right now. I need… I need coffee. And I'm hungry, are you hungry?"

He chuckled at her. _Same Lorelai._

"I'll go get us some food. I gonna change first though."

Luke stood and went to change in the bathroom. Lorelai started to take her shoes off again and padded over to Luke's fridge. It was filled with typical Luke fare, which meant a lot of vegetables and food that needed to be cooked before eating.

"Your fridge is full is disgustingly healthy food." She shouted towards the bathroom door.

"Of course it is, it's my fridge." He shouted back.

She grabbed juice out of the fridge and poured a glass. "You're gonna have to fix that."

"I'll get right on it." Luke came out of the bathroom. Lorelai looked at him. He'd changed into a more relaxed outfit, jeans still, but a t-shirt instead of flannel. "Bathroom's free."

Lorelai grabbed one of his flannel shirts and went to change. When she came out, Luke was back, setting food on the table. "I got burgers. Fries for you, and a salad for me."

"Can we eat on the couch and watch tv while we eat?"

"Uh, sure."

They cleared the coffee table of and settle on the couch. Lorelai sat on one end of the couch with her legs curled under her. Luke sat in the middle, flipping through the channels.

"What do you wanna watch?"

"Whatever, I'm not picky." Lorelai looked around the apartment. "Huh. I haven't been up here in awhile. It's different."

"Yeah, April helped decorate."

"Ah." At the mention of April, Lorelai felt a pang of jealousy, closely followed by one of guilt, but did her best to hide it for Luke's sake. "I like the blue. Did April pick it?"

"Yeah she did, it's called cerulean. She says it's her favorite color."

Lorelai nodded. She tried focus on the tv, and saw "I love Lucy" was on. "Oh, hey, wait, stop here!"

After the food was gone, they had just sat and watched in silence, which Luke found disconcerting after a while. He looked over at her. She was just watching, no commenting or mocking. She wasn't even really watching, just staring at the tv set. He could practically see the gears turning in her mine, and he had a pretty good guess as to what she was thinking about. Well, two guesses, but they both needed to be discussed. Sooner rather than later.

"So do you want to talk-" he tried to ask.

"Nope," she said, not taking her eyes off the television.

"Okay." _Eventually works fine too._

Lorelai shifted closer to him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Lorelai looked down at his other hand, and frowned, sitting up. Luke was about to ask what was wrong, when she grabbed it and began examining it. He realized what she had noticed. He had been so focused on making the tent for the party, and then the party and the clean up afterward, that he'd nearly forgotten that he was nowhere near as craft-disposed as Lorelai, and had gotten hurt when he had been sewing the tent together.

"Oh my god! Luke, what did you do you your hands?" Her fingers began to ghost over the new little scratches and cuts on his hands.

He tried to pull his hand away from her examinations. "Oh, it's nothing."

"That is not nothing." Lorelai traced one scratch that looked deeper and more painful than the others. "Did you take up wood carving as a hobby when we were apart?"

"No, I did not."

"Did you just whittle your time away?"

Luke rolled his eyes, making her giggle.

"Sorry it was just sitting there. But seriously, what did you do?"

"Nothing, I just- I'm not as handy with needles as you are. I got myself a couple of times when I was making the tent. You know, for-"

"Right." Lorelai sighed. "I still cannot believe you did all that."

He shrugged. "Well, I couldn't not do it."

"And I cannot believe you did _this_." She grabbed his other hand and looked at it. "Does it hurt?"

"No. I mean, they were a little sore yesterday, but I'm fine."

"Oh, Luke." A tear dropped from her face, followed closely by a second.

"Hey," He said softly, and reached up with his free hand to cradle her face. She took hold of it and kissed his palm, before pressing it back against her cheek. Luke tried to pull her into a hug, but she pushed him away gently.

"No." Lorelai brushed the tears from her face, and took a second to collect herself. "Sorry, I just… I'm not ready to... I'm not ready to fall apart yet. I know I will and I don't want to, but-"

"I know." He rubbed her shoulders. "I know."

Lorelai picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels again, desperate for a distraction. "What else is on?"

He let her curl up next to him once more while she flipped through the channels, and wrapped his arm protectively around her. Neither mentioned the odd stray tear that would appear. After a while, she drifted off to sleep once more, followed closely by Luke.

* * *

Several hours later, Lorelai's cell phone woke them up. Or rather, it woke up Lorelai, who had been curled up and leaning on Luke, resting her head on his chest. In her haste to reach her phone, she elbowed Luke in the ribs, who awoke with a grunt of pain.

"Sorry. It's probably Rory." She apologized, and snatched up her phone to answer it. "Hi, sweetie. How's your first day as a real reporter been?"

 _"Stressful, but good, I think. Did you just wake up? I didn't mean to wake you up."_

"Rory, honey." Lorelai gently reprimanded her. "You know you can call me anytime, day or night. Even if you don't want to talk and just need some white noise in the form of familiar mommy-babble."

 _"I'll keep that in mind."_

"So, what's the verdict on fanny packs among reporters nowadays?"

 _"Well, I haven't actually asked anyone yet, but no one's wearing one, so I think it's a safe bet to say that fanny packs are out. I might hang onto it for a little while just in case though."_

"Smart kid."

 _"So where have you been?"_

Lorelai glanced over at Luke, who'd gone back to dozing next to her. "Why do you ask?"

 _"Well, I tried you at home first, thinking you'd probably be there, but Babette answered and said she hadn't seen you yet, and that Paul Anka had moved all the books off the bookshelf again."_

Lorelai groaned. "Oh, man, I just got them all organized."

 _"They were_ _not_ _organized."_

"Yes, they were." She insisted. "I organized them by the likelihood of me reading them."

 _"So you organized them from eventually to never?"_

"You talked to Babette." Lorelai prompted.

 _"I talked to Babette, then I called the inn, and I talked to Michel, who was in a bad mood. And then he handed the phone to Sookie, who said that she hadn't heard from you all day. Where are you?"_

"Oh, just around." Lorelai said airly. "I've just been driving around, running, uh, errands."

 _"Errands?"_

"Yeah, errands. In Hartford. You know, since I was in town, dropping you off and such."

 _"Right."_ Rory said, clearly not believing her. Lorelai carried on, not caring if she was buying it or not. The lying was for her benefit, not Rory's, and she knew it.

"And work, you know, they can do just fine without me for a day and I just didn't want to face everyone... You know that everyone would want to know everything about you, your job, where you're going, and I'm gonna get enough of that for the next couple weeks, and I just thought I'd just take today off and avoid everyone for a while."

 _"Well that sounds healthy,"_ Rory said sarcastically. _"But seriously Mom. Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine, kid." Lorelai assured Rory. Luke, who'd been half-listening, gave a snort of derision. Lorelai swatted him lightly on the arm.

 _"Okay."_ Lorelai could tell that she still sounded uncertain. " _I wish I could talk more, but there's a drinks mixer for all the reporters tonight and I need to get ready for that, I smell like airplane._

"See, you _sound_ like a normal person sometimes, and then sometimes you sound like my mother."

 _"Oh, nice, lady."_ Rory snarked back playfully. _"I'll call you tomorrow. Oh, Sookie said to call her."_

"Have fun at the mixer, hon."

 _"Call her, mom."_ Rory insisted.

"Alright, I will." Lorelai assured her.

 _"Promise?"_

"Rory..."

 _"We just worry about you."_

Her daughter's "Rory face" was audible in her reply. Lorelai blinked back a fresh flood of tears and tried to keep her voice light and calm.

"Rory, I'm fine, I swear. And I promise to call Sookie."

 _"Okay. Bye mom."_

"Bye, Rory. Oh, remember, no windows." Lorelai reminded her, thinking back to the advice she gave Rory several years prior, on spring break.

Rory laughed. It felt good to hear Rory laugh. _"Right, no windows."_

She hung up the phone and tossed it on table, and sat back against the cushions with a sigh. Luke, who was awake now, reached over to rub her leg. "How is she?"

"She's good." Lorelai said automatically. "At least, she sounds good."

He looked at her pointedly. "And how are you?"

"Still processing."

"Okay."

Lorelai sat up again, stretching her muscles. "What time is it?"

Luke checked his watch. "Just after four."

"I should probably go check on things at the Dragonfly." Lorelai said, and got up slowly. Luke stood too, and walked her to the door, where they paused to kiss. God, how she missed that.

"See you tomorrow?" Lorelai asked.

He nodded. "I'll be the one with the coffee."

Lorelai kissed him one last time, and made it to the top of the stairs when Luke called to her.

"Hey."

She looked at him over her shoulder.

"I'll be here." He promised. "When you're ready to talk. I'll always be here."

Lorelai smiled softly at him. _Always Luke_.

"I know." She nodded slightly. "Bye."

"See ya."

She just gave him one last small smile, and walked downstairs to an almost empty diner, and slipped out the back, grateful that she didn't have to deal with any nosy townies.

At least, not yet.


	2. Houses and Rollercoasters

_Look, this really is going to be a story mainly about Luke and Lorelai. But there is some serious empty nest syndrome going on in this chapter. So just bear with me, and maybe grab a box of tissues. I certainly needed them._

 _Thank you to everyone who's already commented on this story. Anytime I needed a little extra inspiration, I went and read your comments. They mean so much to me. I hope that I can live up to your expectations._

* * *

Lorelai put her car in park but made no move to get out. She knew that once she did, once she made it inside it was an acknowledgement that things were forever changed. Maybe for the better, but changed all the same. She pretended for a few last seconds that everything was the same as it had been just three days ago. She and Rory were planning to go on a road trip and ride roller coasters across America, as far as their wallets and stomachs would carry them. Then Rory would come back and stay there until she found a job, preferably nearby. Lorelai took a deep breath, and let her mind wander away from that idea, and starting the painful process of letting go yet another future that would never happen. Granted, Rory might come back and they might carry on with the plan roller coasters and all, but it would still not be the same future.

As her mind wandered, she studied the house that she and Rory had shared for so many years. Lorelai felt as much a part of that house as it was of her. Through renovations, repairs, redecorating, reunions, they'd both changed to accommodate the people in their life. Chris hard hardly left a scratch on the place, and the hole he'd made in her heart when he'd left was already healed. More proof, she thought, that she'd made the right choice with him. Just the new flat screen, it seemed, was all impact that he left in the house. Even Gigi had made more of an impact.

But every where else were the marks of others she'd loved. Especially Luke. The house grew as their love did. And the house, too, felt as empty as she did when he'd left. But a house wasn't as easy to get rid of as earrings, or a spatula. Or a wedding dress. But the house was the one thing she could never get rid of. That she never _wanted_ to get rid of. Because the house wasn't just her and Luke, it was her and Rory as well.

Rory hadn't left so much a mark on the house, as she had left an impression. Her room had largely remained unchanged over the years, and even now the only major change was the trundle. Yes, posters had changed, the book collection had grown as she had, but it was still very much Rory's room. That house and its purchase was first major decision Lorelai had made since she left her parent's house, and one she gladly shared with Rory. And many, many pro/con lists.

 _Lorelai had laid out the pictures of the houses she and Rory had looked at. They had compiled pro/con lists for all of them, and now they were ready make their final decision. Almost._

 _"So are we done?" Lorelai asked._

 _"Let's check the list of things that we needed to find out." Rory said._

 _"Oy vey, there's another list." Lorelai muttered jokingly._

 _"Hey, I don't mock your system." Rory retorted. "You have an entire protocol for picking out eye shadow and lipstick."_

 _"And one I will gladly teach you once you finally develop an interest in make-up." Lorelai assured her. "But for now, we're picking a house for us to live in. So come on with that list, time's a-wastin'."_

 _"Okay. We've listed everything we know about these houses, real or imagined. We've tallied up every pro or con we can think of, and we talked to Miss Patty."_

 _"Oh! Which reminds me." Lorelai exclaimed. "Take the gray one on Linden out of the running._

 _Rory picked up the list and pictures of the house in question, looking over them. "But we liked that one. It's not too far from the inn, it's on a road that only has three other houses on is, and it has a covered driveway, which will be great once we actually get a car."  
_

 _"Miss Patty said that the couple that lives across from that house is clothing optional behind closed doors."_

 _"Okay, goodbye Linden." Rory made a face and put it to the side. "Wait, if it's behind closed doors, how does Miss Patty know?"_

 _"Because closed doors apparently doesn't always mean closed curtains."_

 _The look of disgust on Rory's face deepened. "I have got to learn to stop asking questions."_

 _"Well, then, you wouldn't be you, babe. So, not including the peep show on Linden, what do you think? Which one is it gonna be?" Lorelai asked.  
_

 _"Well, the one on cherry has the most pros." Rory said._

 _Lorelai shook her head. "It also has the most cons. And it didn't feel right. Too many doors. There was like, doors in every doorway in that house. I felt like I was in Alice in Wonderland, looking for a bottle that says "drink me.""_

 _Rory checked the list. "You didn't write that down."_

 _Lorelai frowned. "Can you count vibes as pro or con?"_

 _"I did."_

 _Lorelai leaned forward. "On which one?"_

 _"The blue one."_

 _"I liked the blue one." Lorelai looked for Rory's notes on how she felt about the blue house, and smiled._

 _""Feels lived in, but in a good way."" Lorelai read. "What does that mean?"_

 _"It means like, it feels like it had a history." Rory explained. "Like it's already a home. Not necessarily our home, but a home." _

_"Familiar." Lorelai suggested.  
_

 _"Yeah!"_

 _"Well, I think that's a very big pro." Lorelai smiled. "But why is Babette Dell on the con side?"  
_

 **TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT-TAT**

Lorelai jumped at the sudden sound, and looked over to see her neighbor, waving at her.

"Hey, sugah!" Babette shouted though the door.

Lorelai plastered on a smile and got out of the jeep. "Hi, Babette."

"Sorry, did I startle ya? How are you? Are you okay? Do you need a hug?" Not bothering to pause for an answer, Babette wrapped her arms around Lorelai and squeezed at tight as she could.

Lorelai, moved by Babette's concern, found herself smiling in spite of her low mood. "I'm fine."

Babette released her hold on Lorelai, and gave her a sympathetic look. "Sure, sweetie, sure. You just keep telling yourself that as long as you need to."

"I really am fine Babette."

"Okay." Babette nodded. Lorelai knew that she didn't actually believe her, but at least now she'd stop asking questions. "Well anyway, when I noticed you weren't home yet, I took Paul Anka for a walk. He was moving your shoes and books all around this morning, I stopped trying to put them back after about twenty minutes because he would go right back and get them out again!"

"Yeah, the books thing is new though." She mused. "It started a few days ago, and I can't for the life of me figure out what he's trying to say."

Babette shrugged. "Well, anyway, you're here now. How was it seein' Rory off? Was it sad? What am I sayin', of course it was sad. Did she finally get in touch with ya?"

Lorelai nodded her head. "Yes, Rory called, she's fine. I'm fine. Everyone's fine."

Babette nodded. "Okay, good. Man, that party yesterday, huh?"

Lorelai's smile suddenly became real. "Yes, it was. I was great that she got to say goodbye to everyone, she was so worried about that."

"Man, that Luke is really something else, ain't he?" Babette elbowed her, grinning slyly. "Puttin' that whole thing together, even though I told him it was gonna rain! I didn't think he could do it, but by god, he was determined to do it. And that party wasn't just for Rory, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do." Lorelai tried to think of something to excuse herself before Babette could direct the conversation somewhere she wasn't ready to think about yet. "Babette, not that I don't wanna talk to you, but I've gotta go check in at the Dragonfly, so…"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Her neighbor started back over to her own house. "If you need anything, just call, sugah!"

"I will!" Lorelai called after her and went inside. Once she has closed the door, she let out a relieved sigh and counted that as one hurdle successfully crossed. She walked into the living room and found Paul Anka sitting on the landing, his head resting on Rory's stuffed chicken.

"But I closed her door before I left, how did you-?" Lorelai started, then shook her head. "Nevermind."

She went over and sat on the step next to him, and scratched his ears. He sighed, and so did she.

"Yeah, I know. I miss her too." She gently took Col. Clucker from him. "But you are _not_ supposed to have this. This is going back in Rory's room, and it's going to stay in Rory's room, okay?"

She held up the stuffed chicken to Paul Anka to make her point. Paul Anka lifted his head and gave it's beak a gentle lick before resting his head on his paws again.

"I'll take that as an apology." Lorelai said, and got up to put the chicken back where he belonged. In Rory's room. She paused in the doorway as another memory hit her.

 _Rory pouted over the dinner Sookie had brought them._

 _"I don't like it."_

 _"It's macaroni and cheese. You_ _love_ _macaroni and cheese." Lorelai reminded her.  
_

 _Rory let her fork clatter noisily into her bowl, her face pinched in a scowl. "I'm talking about the house."_

 _"The- the house we just put an offer on? I thought you said you liked. We made pro/con lists!"_

 _"That was before I realized that our rooms were gonna be on different floors." Rory spat out. "I don't want to be on a different floor! I've never been on a different floor than you. I've never even had a different_ _room than you!"  
_

 _"Yeah, I know, you get your own room." Lorelai tried to reason with her. "Don't you know how great it's gonna be to be able to decorate your own room? Have your own space?"  
_

 _"I don't want my own room! I've never had my own room!"_

 _"Babe, you need your own room. It's gonna be hard to be a moody teenager and blast your emo grunge metal music through the door if we're sharing a room."_

 _"I'm not going to be a moody teenager, and I don't need my own room!"_

 _Lorelai cupped a hand around her ear, as if to hear her better. "What was that, my moody preteen?"_

 _"Oh, forget it!" Rory stormed away to the overstuffed armchair in the corner and pulled the curtain shut behind her angrily._

 _"See, that exit would have been a lot more dramatic if you could have slammed the door in my face." Lorelai said before returning to her dinner._

 _"You don't exist!" Rory shouted at her.  
_

 _"Again, a lot more believable if I wasn't able to see your shoes." Lorelai said firmly. "I see, therefore we move."_

Lorelai shook her head, and carefully replaced the Col. back on the bench under the window where he lived. Taking one last glance around the room, she closed the door gently behind her and went upstairs. After a shower and a change of clothes, Lorelai was feeling more like herself again, and drove over to the Dragonfly. Michel looked up as she came in.

"Ah, Lorelai, good. Now that you are here, I-"

Lorelai held up her hand to stop him. "Mh-mm, need coffee first."

He sighed. "Very well. But hurry!"

Lorelai headed straight back to the coffee maker in the kitchen. "Hey Sookie."

Sookie turned around, and greeted her warmly. "Lorelai, hey! I didn't think you'd be coming in today."

"Yeah, sorry I'm late. Had some errands." Lorelai lied.

"Grab a cup of coffee, I'll be with you in a minute." Sookie said. "Beetles got into Jackson's first cabbage crop of the season, so I had to come up with a new side for tonight."

"You finally settle on a main dish?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I got kinda inspired by the party yesterday, so I decided to make barbecue chicken. I was doing coleslaw as a side but-"

"The beetles, yeah." Lorelai quipped. "That damn British invasion! Eating all our cabbages. You'd think they'd have filled up on fish and chips before they left."

Sookie frowned. "I think that Jack said the beetles were- Oh! Beetles, Beatles, I get it!"

Lorelai rolled her eyes fondly as her friend laughed.

"So what are you making instead?"

"Potato salad. Oh!" Sookie face lit up. "What if I made fish and chip inspired potato salad! I've got some haddock in the freezer!"

"Sookie, no."

"Yeah, you're right." Her shoulders sank, but another idea occurred to her. "What about salt and vinegar potato salad? It's still fish and chip inspired!"

Lorelai nodded agreeably. "That could work."

Sookie tipped the potatoes she'd been working on into the waiting mixing bowl. "Okay, that's done. I'll just rinse this stuff and-"

Michel walked into the kitchen. "Lorelai, now that you have had your coffee, can-"

"Oh, no you don't! I get first dibs on her." Sookie turned to her friend, grabbing her gently by the arm and leading her out of the kitchen. "Alright, let's go."

"What, go where? Sookie!" Lorelai complained as she was pushed past Michel, through the inn, and to the office. Sookie pushed Lorelai toward the office chair, taking a seat herself across from her in a far more comfortable armchair.

"Sit, sit." She insisted.

"You sure are bossy today." Lorelai grumbled. "What's this all about?"

"I want to know how you're doing, with Rory leaving like this." Sookie said, clearly concerned.

Lorelai sighed. "Sookie, I swear, I'm _fine_. I want everyone to know I am doing just fine."

"Fine? Honey, you disappeared." Sookie said seriously. "No one heard from you, no one saw you. Rory called here twice. If Patty hadn't called and said that she saw your car parked somewhere in town, I'd have tracked you down myself."

"Why is everyone so worried about me?" Lorelai replied. "Everyone I've seen today with the exception of Michel has asked me how I'm doing. Am I on some kind of watch list?"

"No, it's just that when Rory's been gone before, you've kinda…"

"Kinda what, Sookie?"

"You kinda lose yourself." Sookie finally said.

"I do not!"

Sookie shot her friend a serious look. "When Rory went to Europe with your mom, you practically lived here. I had to physically escort you out the door."

"We'd just opened the place, it was easy to obsess over." Lorelai defended herself.

"And then when you and Rory were fighting over dropping out of Yale, you had your house remodeled."

"Okay, that was not because of Rory." Lorelai insisted. "That was because Luke and I were going to live there and we needed more space."

"You got a dog." Sookie reminded her.

"Paul Anka _needed_ me. He and I both have quirks. We have an understanding. I couldn't just let him go of with a typical suburban family! They wouldn't understand him and he'd be back at the shelter in two wags of his tail."

"You get my point." Sookie said.

Lorelai sighed. She hated to admit it, but Sookie was right. "Yes, I get your point. But Sookie, both those times, Rory and I had fought. Things were unresolved. That's where all the obsession came from, not from Rory being gone."

"So you're fine?" Sookie checked.

"Yes, I am." Lorelai assured her. "Now can we move onto another topic please?"

"Alright. If you say you're fine, then you're fine."

"I am." Lorelai said again.

"Good." Sookie said, then smiled confidentially. "So, what happened after the party last night?"

Lorelai knew that Sookie would get around to asking that question eventually. She hid a smile and answered, "Oh, nothing. Rory and I went home, spent the night packing."

Sookie rolled her eyes. "No, I mean after you went to find Luke. I assume you went to find Luke."

"I did actually."

"So what happened?" Sookie prompted. "Are you two…?"

"I don't know, Sookie. We just-"

Lorelai's sentence got cut off when Michel came in.

"Michel, we are talking!" Sookie shouted.

Michel ignored her. "Lorelai, now that you are here, I would like to go home now, and actually enjoy the rest of my day off."

Lorelai sighed, and looked at her friend apologetically. "We'll talk later, Sook."

"Alright, _fine_." Sookie stood and pointed at her. "I'm not letting this go, though."

"I know you won't." Lorelai nodded at Sookie, and she left the office, glaring at Michel as she passed him. Michel ignored her, and turned to face Lorelai.

"Well?" He prompted.

"Fine, Michel, you can leave." Lorelai agreed. "I will handle the desk. See you tomorrow."

"Thank you. Also, since I had to come in, _on my day off_ , perhaps I could get some overtime, or get some extra hours off this week. Tomorrow, perhaps-"

"You can take part of tomorrow off too." Lorelai said, secretly grateful at the moment for an excuse not to spend more time at the house. "Is that all?"

"One last thing, about this summer's schedule."

Lorelai sighed to herself. "Yes?"

"You had planned to take time off to spend with Rory riding the roller coasters, but since Rory has left, does that mean that you are no longer going to be taking a vacation this summer?"

Lorelai frowned. In all the rush getting Rory ready to leave, she had all but forgotten about that. "Uh, no, I'm probably not going anywhere, Michel."

"Very well." He went to leave, but hesitated at the door.

"What is it, Michel?" She asked patiently.

"When was the last time you had a vacation?" Michel asked.

Lorelai frowned once again. "I… don't know. Why?"

"Because, you are no good to the inn if your burn yourself out working all the time."

"You work all the time." Lorelai pointed out.

"Yes, but I do take time out to do things for me." Michel said. "I take regular vacations, as well as monthly visits to a spa and sessions with my personal trainer. These are things I do for me and me alone."

"You go to a spa?" Lorelai mocked.

Michel shrugged and smirked. "Who doesn't like being pampered?"

Lorelai shook her head, as if to dismiss thing she Did Not want to think about. "What's this got to do with me, Michel?"

"You go from work to helping at town events." Michel pointed out. "You are always volunteering to help others and rarely take time off for yourself, especially when you are not dating."

"Only you can make helping people sound like a bad thing."

Surprisingly to Lorelai, Michel's face showed an unusual level of concern. "I simply worry that now that Rory is gone, you will work yourself to the bone and die an early stress related death."

"Michel, as touched as I am by your suggestion, I am fine. And I am going to continue to be fine, whether or not I take a vacation."

"But you will consider still taking a vacation?" He checked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "I will _think_ about it."

"Very good." Michel opened the door to leave, when Lorelai stopped him one last time.

"You just want to be completely in charge of the desk again, don't you?"

"I would be lying if I said the thought had not occurred to me."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Bye, Michel."

* * *

Ultimately, Luke had gone downstairs to work after Lorelai had left, and allowed Caesar and Lane to go home early after the dinner rush, which he thought was more than fair after for all the extra help they'd given him with Rory's party. It had gotten pretty slow when the phone rang. All afternoon, every time the phone rang Luke hoped it was Lorelai. It hadn't been yet, but he kept hoping.

"Luke's."

" _You busy_?" His heart sunk a little as he heard Liz's voice. _"I just put Doula down for the night, thought I'd give you a call."_

Luke looked around the diner to make sure that the few customers he had would be fine for a few minutes. "Yeah I got a minute. What's up?"

 _"I was about to ask you the same question."_

"Why?"

 _"Cause Patty and Babette have been bugging me about any news about you and Lorelai."_

"Aw, jeez..." He muttered, and took the call into the kitchen.

 _"So?"_ Liz prompted him. _" Is there something goin' on between you two?"_

"Why? So you can be included in the town gossip circle?"

 _"I'm not asking for them, Luke."_ Liz chided him. _"I'm asking cause I care about you. And Lorelai, but mostly you, cause you're my brother. So, is something happenin'? Did you give her the necklace? Please tell me you at least gave her the necklace."_

Luke automatically smiled. "Well…"

 _"You did?"_ Liz asked excitedly.

His grinned broadened. "I- I did."

 _"Did she like it?"_

"She loved it." Luke assured her.

 _"You made sure to tell her it was from you, right?"_ Liz demanded. _"I heard about what happened with the earrings I gave you to give to her."_

"You didn't say not to tell her they were from you. I just didn't tell her that you gave me the choice of giving them to her or Nicole."

 _"You knew what I meant, Luke, and you gave them to Lorelai. So?"_

"So what?"

 _"Did you tell her the necklace was from you?"_

Luke sighed. "Yes, I did. I did tell her you made it, but I made it pretty clear that it was from me."

 _"No room for interpretation?"_

"None whatsoever." He said confidently.

Liz hesitated, then gasped. _"I knew it! You got back together!"_

"Well- I mean…" He realized the futility in trying to hide it. "We might be, yes."

Luke had to hold the phone away from his ear at her outburst. _"Oh I'm so happy!"_

" _Might_ , Liz." He emphasized. "Don't get too excited."

Liz, however, did not even acknowledge him. _"I knew you two would make it, I just knew it. You two are so right together."_

"Liz, stop!" Luke said firmly, then peeked around the doorway to see if anyone was trying listen in. When he answered his voice was low. "I don't know, I don't know what we're doing, alright? We're just talkin' right now. And don't spread this around. I don't want people hearing about something that may or may not happen."

 _"But it's you and Lorelai. Of course you're gonna get back together."_

"See, that's the exact kind of thing I don't want spread all over town." Luke said firmly. "Lorelai and I haven't even talked about it _ourselves_ yet. I don't want people talking about it as if it's already happened."

 _"Alright, alright, I'll keep it quiet."_ Liz agreed.

"How about keeping it to yourself?"

 _"I got it, I got it. Zippin' the lip."_ Liz said. _"So, just between us…"_

"Liz!"

 _"I was just gonna ask about Lorelai!"_ She said defensively. _"How's she taking Rory leaving?"_

"She's…" He didn't really feel like this was his information to share. "She's takin' it like Lorelai. I don't know what else to say."

 _"Well, she's gotta be taking it hard."_ Liz stated plainly. _"She and Rory are so_ _connected , you know? I mean, Jess and I don't have as great a relationship as they do and I cried for weeks after I sent him to you. And to think that Rory might be gone for two years- that's gotta suck. My heart just goes out to both of them so much."_

"Yeah, well, I'm sure they appreciate…" Luke thought a moment about what his sister just said, and frowned. "Wait, what do you mean, two years?"

 _"Well, Patty said that if Rory's job goes okay, and Obama makes it through the primaries or convention or whatever it is, then Rory could be following them through the election. You didn't know?"_

"No, I didn't." Luke muttered. "Look, Liz, I gotta go."

 _"Alright. And, hey, if you want my opinion, I think you and Lorelai will make it. You guys are perfect for each other. If you guys can't make it work, nobody can."_

"Cheery thought." Luke said. "Talk to you later, sis. Give Doula a kiss for me."

 _"I will. See ya later, big brother."_

As Luke hung up the phone, he felt his heart sinking.

 _Rory found him by the grill as he was starting to set them up for dinner._ _He smiled at her._

 _"Having a good time?"_

 _She nodded. "Yeah."_

 _"You hungry? The grill's just gotta heat up then the food'll be ready in no time."  
_

 _"I could eat." Rory said. "But mainly, I came over here to say thank you."_

 _Luke fiddled with the knobs on the grill. "For what?"_

 _"For... everything." She looked down shyly. "This party..."_

 _Luke sighed. "Who told?"_

 _"Miss Patty." Rory admitted. "And Lane, and Kirk. And Sookie."_

 _"I guess it's okay that you know." Luke pretended to grumble. "It's not so much a secret now, is it?"_

 _She smiled and laughed a little. "No, it certainly is not."_

 _There was a comfortable moment of silence between them before she spoke up again.._

 _"Hey, Luke?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"I meant it." She said quietly. "Thank you. For everything. All the stuff you've done for us, over the years. For mom and me... I don't think we said it enough. So thank you."_

 _He smiled fondly at her. "You're welcome."_

 _They hugged. He was no longer the awkward hugger he once was, and he owed that in no small part to Lorelai, April, and Rory equally.  
_

 _"I want you to know how proud I am of you, Rory." He told her. "I am just so proud of you."_

 _She started tearing up, and he squeezed her shoulder, feeling his own emotions beginning to get the better of him._

 _"Hey, none of that." He joked, his voice wavering a little. "If you start crying, I'm gonna start crying. And I have a reputation to maintain."_

 _"Right." Rory gave a watery laugh. "Can't have your reputation as the town grump tarnished on my account."_

 _She stood next to him and he wrapped an arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulders. Luke could barely hear Rory's voice over the noise of the party.  
_

 _"I'm really gonna miss you."_

 _He would have liked to answer, but he didn't trust his voice not to crack. He just squeezed her shoulder again, to let her know that he'd heard, and he knew she understood when she hugged him again.  
_

Luke clenched his jaw to stop it shaking. Rory wasn't even his kid, and the thought that she wasn't going to drop by on the way home from Yale anymore, or after Friday night dinners was hard to even think about. All this, he'd realized before, but now he saw it in a whole new light.

Two years. Rory could be gone for two years.

She could be gone until 2009. She'd be twenty six. Rory would be twenty six, and April would be seventeen. Just a year away from _graduating_ high school. His kids were growing up right in front of him.

All of a sudden, he needed her hear Lorelai's voice. He needed an anchor. And if this was how he was feeling, he could only imagine how she was feeling. His hand was already reaching for the phone to call her, when Taylor came into the diner.

"Ah, Lucas, just the person I needed to talk to." Taylor's voice was bright and cheery, which only worsened Luke's mood.

"What do you want, Taylor?" Luke growled.

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about the clean-up after Rory's bon voyage party yesterday."

"The square's clean, Taylor, I supervised the cleanup myself." Luke picked up the coffee pot and started making the rounds refilling cups, and Taylor, as usual, followed.

"Yes, the town square is clean. You all did a spectacular job on that." He agreed. "However, there is a pile of garbage bags next to the trash can in the park. I need you to take care of them before they start to attract wildlife."

"Trash day's tomorrow, they'll be fine until then."

"You said that you'd take care of all the clean-up, and removal of the trash bags is part of that."

Luke shoved the coffee pot back on the the burner and turned to face Taylor. "Okay, first of all, I didn't actually agree to be in charge of all clean up, you just told me that it was my responsibility. And I did it because it was the right thing to do. I didn't take the trash bags with me cause I already ran out of room."

"You really should get more trash cans." Taylor iterated. "I've told you this for years."

Luke took a deep breath, knowing it wouldn't help anything if he lost his temper over this. "The bags will be fine where they are until they get picked up tomorrow morning. If they aren't, I will personally load them into my truck and drive them to the dump myself. But I'm not going to do anything about it today. Now if you excuse me, I've got work to do."

Luke turned around and made himself busy, hoping that Taylor would get the message to leave.

He did not. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

Luke groaned inwardly.

"I wanted to check on the dates that you'll be closing the diner."

Luke nearly forgot his anger in confusion, and turned to face the town selectman.

"Why would I be closing the diner?"

"Well, for your and April's big boat trip, of course."

"Oh, right." Luke had forgotten how recently he'd gotten that news. It felt like weeks ago, not days. "It turns out we're not going."

Taylor frowned. "You're not? What happened? Is April okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Luke waved his hand, as if to physically dismiss any concerns. "She just got into this science camp that only takes eighth graders, so this is the only year she could go. Besides, she and I can go on a trip any time, it doesn't have to be this summer."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear about that, Luke." Taylor said, surprisingly sympathetic. "I hope she has a fun time at camp though."

"Yeah, me too." Luke agreed. He turned back toward the kitchen, but a thought occurred to him. He turned back to Taylor, regarding him suspiciously. "Why'd you want to know when I'd be closing the diner?"

"Oh, no reason." Taylor said airily. "Well, I'd better be going."

"Taylor." Luke said, but he was ignored. Taylor continued on outside, even quickening his pace.

Luke knew, he just _knew_ that he was up to something, and followed him outside.

"Taylor!"

Taylor was now walking briskly back in the direction of the market, but Luke quickly caught up to him. He placed a firm hand on Taylor's shoulder and turned him around so that Luke could look him in the face.

"I know when you're up to something, Taylor, and it's never good!" Luke demanded. "Now I know you've got something planned and I want to know what it is."

"Well..." Taylor wheedled.

"Taylor..." Luke growled warningly.

"Alright, fine! I wanted to put up some yellow awnings around the diner."

Luke squinted at him, not quite sure what to make of it. "Awnings?"

Taylor nodded emphatically. "Yellow awnings."

Luke let go of Taylor's shoulder. "That's it?"

"Originally, I was just going to put up some in front of the soda shop," He explained. "But I found out I could get a better deal if I bought more than one, so I thought I'd do you a favor and pitch in a little for your awnings too."

"Awnings." Luke stated.

"Just give it some thought, will you?" Taylor asked. "I've always thought that the diner would look more welcoming from the street if it had some nice, bright yellow awnings, especially next the the cream colored ones I'm getting for the shop shop. Of course, we'd have to take down the William's Hardware sign-"

Luke's answer was immediate and forceful.

"No."

"But Luke-"

"No!" Luke shouted. "No one is touching in that sign, Taylor. No one but me, and I'm not takin' it down, so it's going to stay there until I die."

Taylor was distraught. "But what about the awnings?"

"There will be. No. Awnings." Luke denied. "And no other improvements or renovations or changes to either building unless _I_ approve them."

"But-"

Luke straightened himself to his full height and glowered at the shorter town selectman. "I'm still pretty pissed about the connecting window, so you really don't want to push me about this."

"I apologized about the window-" Taylor protested.

"Yeah, but you didn't fix it, like I told you too, so you can just take your awnings and shove 'em where the sun don't shine, cause they are **never. Going. Up**!" Luke stormed back into the diner before Taylor could say another word.


End file.
